Located on the site of a decommissioned airport, Infinitus Plaza is an office complex that includes herbal medicine research facilities, safety assessment labs and a learning centre for conferences and exhibitions.
Zaha Hadid Architects arranged the eight storeys building around central atria and courtyards. A nod to the symbol for infinity “∞”. The anchoring voids, together with a variety of shared indoor and outdoor spaces, aim to build a strong sense of community by visually connecting the different floors together.
Each atrium is covered with an ETFE membrane. A network of sprinklers spray collected rainwater onto the roof when the membrane’s exterior surface is heated to 35°C. Three to four minutes of spraying, every half hour, brings the surface temperature down by 14°C and lowers the interior temperatures by 5°C.
Collected rainwater is also used for roof gardens on the 3rd, 7th and 8th floors that grow herbs and plants native to the region. These outdoor terraces are linked together to form a rooftop jogging track and walking paths.
Inside the two interconnecting bridges the architects placed flexible communal spaces. The office promotes individual and overall wellness by providing a gym, recreation and relaxation zones as well as restaurant and cafe.
The LEED Gold certified building makes use of 25,088.33 tonnes of recycled materials, primarily steel, copper, glass, aluminium alloy profiles, gypsum products and wood.
Taking Guangzhou’s humid subtropical monsoon climate into account, external perforated aluminium shading panels, together with double-insulated low-E glazing, reduce solar heat gain.
